We decided to evaluate the clinical effects of Sulfasalazine because our work to date suggests that genetic variations with downstream function implications for glutamate function, specifically cysteine/glutamate exchange and glutamate transport, are strongly associated with BOLD response in the striatum and prefrontal cortex after exposure to alcohol cues. Sulfasalazine is a medication with a well characterized safety profile that has been used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and several types of arthritis, particularly rheumatoid arthritis for many years. Most recently, it has been suggested that Sulfasalazine may have beneficial effects in the brain, specifically by blocking N-methyl D-aspartate receptor-mediated excitotoxicity resulting in reduced neuronal death (Bo Rum Ryu et al, 2003). This pilot study will help to determine whether NMDA receptors play a role in cue-elicited activation of key areas of the brain implicated in the development and maintenance of substance use disorders. Furthermore, if Sulfasalazine reduces cue-elicited activation of these brain regions, as hypothesized; this study will lay the groundwork for a larger trial on the efficacy of Sulfasalazine as a treatment for substance use disorders.